In discussing the drowning figure in the work of DJ Opperman, it is assumed that the themes of decline and resurgence are central to the work of the author. With respect to these dual motifs the following became apparent: (a) that the decline inevitably leads to new life, and of necessity, must precede it. (b) This universal paradox of decline and resurgance is characterised by an endless repetition in time. (c) Man as an individual is inextricably caught between the dichotomous forces of birth and death. The individual is recognisable throughout Opperman's work. Through man's intimate connection with water as a medium of birth and death, the individual or "enkeling" is also seen as the drowned figure or "drenkelingfiguur". Reference to this drowned figure carries the joint connotations of drowning or submergence and decline. The condition of decline indicates the disappearance of the drowning figure below the water-line or surface. Such alienation can also be brought about by means of other elements which can become the metaphorical equivalent of water as the medium of submergence.